December 5th, 2008 AAA SCHOOL HOUSE ACCOUNTABILITY + ADDED VALUE = ACHIEVEMENT Detroit Public Schools Employee Newsletter

DPS BOARD CARSTENS ANNOUNCES OPPORTU- THREE DPS HIGH ‘ANGELS’ LEND A NITY FOR STUDENTS TO SCHOOLS NAMED HAND TAKE PART IN HISTORY GRAMMY SIGNATURE The DPS Board of Education is an- SCHOOL FINALIST nouncing the Presidential Inaugura- Carstens El- tion of Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Three DPS High Schools were ementary School Luther King, Jr. Holiday Creative recently selected as finalist in the received a spe- Expression Contest in recognition of GRAMMY Signature Schools cial visit from several of their the work of Dr. King and the promise program! Detroit School of Arts, ‘angels’ before the Thanksgiving of Senator Obama. 49 winners will Renaissance and Southeastern holiday. Mark Wagner, of Mark be selected in the contest, and all will are among a total of 31 schools Wagner Enterprises and several receive the prize of a lifetime-an all from around the country up for of his employees along with some expense paid trip to the inauguration the award. The grand prize win- youth, delivered enough turkeys of the Nation’s 44th president! Every ning school will receive a grant for every family at Carstens! They DPS student in grades 1 through 12 is ranging from $1000 up to $10,000 were thanked in a special assembly eligible to submit an entry choosing to be used towards their schools in which Vilanda Prograis’ 4th and from several categories – essay, poem, music department. The GRAMMY 5th graders thanked him with the music/Rap, power point /video or art- Signature School program is spon- following words: work. Students must use one of these sored by the Grammy Founda- two themes as a guide: tion whose focus is on education M is for magnificent man. A is for through music. The winning school will be announced in the spring of admiration. R is for reliable. K •The Dream Promotes Change 2009! is for kind. W is for wonderful. A •“Rosa Parks sat so (Dr.) Martin is for angelic. G is for gem. N Luther King, Jr. could walk. Martin is for noble. E is for energetic. R walked so Obama could run. Obama DPS choirs is for he remembers us every is running so we all can fly.” – Jay-Z. will be per- year. forming in the Entries must be turned in to the lobby of the Board of Education office NO LAT- Fisher build- That ER than December 19th. ing spreading holiday cheer from spells now through Christmas! The Mark remaining schools and dates are: Wag- This month’s ner, Conversations -John R. King ES- 12/08 who made sure every Carstens with the -Cass Tech 12/09 family had something to be thank- , Superintendent -Greenfield Union ES 12/11 ful for this year! Connie K. Callo- -Martin Luther King HS - 12/12 way, Ph.D., will be -Roosevelt High - 12/15 held on Monday December 8th at 5:30pm -Pershing HS - 12/16 at Renaissance High School located at -Butzel MS- 12/18 6565 W. Outer Drive. For additional -Edmonson ES 12/19 information contact the Office of Parental -Detroit School of Arts 12/22 Involvement at (313) 873-7490. ‘THE YAK’ CHADSEY MIDDLE DETROIT COLLEGE REWARDS SCHOOL STUDENTS PROMISE HOPES TO STUDENTS WHO HEAD TO THE OPERA SEND ALL DPS READ! WITH HELP FROM STUDENTS TO COLLEGE GRANT Cody High School seniors are part Photo Chadsey High School has recent- of a ground breaking program that courtesy ly been awarded $1,584.00 from will hopefully help send all DPS of the De- the Michigan Department of students to college! Seniors at Cody troit Free Press. Education Cultural Access Grant! are encouraged to turn in their ap- The award will allow the schools plications for the Detroit College Priest Elementary was recently 7th and 8th grade students to take Promise scholarship that will pay featured in the Detroit Free Press a field trip to the Detroit Opera between 65-100% of their college after the ‘Yak’s Corner’ delivered House to see the Nutcracker! tuition to a public Michigan col- 1,000 new books to one of the Middle school teachers at Chad- lege or university. This is a pilot 4th grade classes at the school! sey thought their students were program being mirrored after the Ms. Vida Wilson’s students were most deserving of the award and Kalamazoo Promise and the execu- awarded the books after winning collaborated to write a grant so tive director of the initiative Nat the Yak’s Corner Library Legacy students could attend. The teach- Pernick says it will be expanded program. Ms. Wilson and her ers involved were: B. Brown, R. to other DPS schools when “funds students say they plan to do a lot Pitts, C. McPherson, R. West- become available.” For additional of reading but also a lot of shar- Bowlen, B. Selly, A. Ellington, information visit www.DetroitCol- ing with other classrooms. FLICS and Curriculum Leader J. Peart. legePromise.org. was also chosen as one of the six Congratulations to Chadsey’s runner up schools and received 50 middle school and have a won- OPEN CASTING free books! The Yak’s Corner Li- derful cultural experience. CALL! brary Legacy has been awarding books to students for 5 years and Do you know any says Ms. Wilson’s class’ New Year students interested Resolution should be “to read as in being on TV or many new books as they can in working behind 2009!” RUTHERFORD the scenes? YouthVille Detroit ACADEMY CELEBRATES is hosting open auditions on MORE THAN JUST THE December 6th for their new HOLIDAYS program “Think Squad.” Think Squad is a new 30 minute inves- Rutherford Academy recently held tigative science based program. their sixth Annual Harvest Feast. The auditions will run from Students, staff and parents came noon until 5pm and are open together to share a special meal of to students between the ages of Thanksgiving. Parents and staff 11 to 19. The show is an excel- generously contributed money and lent way for students serious the delicious food. Those involved about television production to say that even though the food was get hands-on experience learn- great, what was even better was ing how to shoot, edit, direct, HAVE A STORY FOR THE AAA the interacting between the parents ect. Students interested in being SCHOOLHOUSE? and staff. It served as a wonderful talent are asked to bring a head- SEND YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY AND reminder of what everyone truly shot along with their resume. PHOTOs TO: JUNE.MCCLELLAND@ DETROITK12.ORG has to be thankful for. The auditions will be held at OR FAX IT TO (313) 873-6269! You can YouthVille Detroit located at also send info. to 7375 Woodward Ave. [email protected].